* Defending the Faith: "Apologetics Brief" - Do You Reject the
Concept of Praying For the Dead?

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Dear Friend,

"Mercy unto you and peace: and charity be fulfilled." (Jude 1:2)

We hope you are doing well during this beautiful Fall month. We
are happy to report that our Third Annual Rosary Week held at the end of
last month was a success, with signups received from the majority of
states in the U.S. and signups received from a total of four continents.
Considering God's goodness & mercy, we hope these modest efforts may result abundant blessings. We would also like to thank you
for your support of MyCatholicSource.com as we celebrated our 3rd
anniversary at the end of last month. It's been a joy to be able to
hang on, even despite the many challenges we've encountered.

This month will also bring some significant challenges as we found
that we will once again need to switch servers. When our last hosting
company was sold, we had to switch to our present server. However, that transition was to a server
nearly identical to the one we
already had - although it was a bit of a hardware upgrade. This time,
the change will not be quite so easy (not that it was easy last time).
Although we knew this would have to occur eventually, we had hoped there
would be more time to prepare. Nevertheless, our host is confident our
site will continue to function properly on this new system. While the
purpose of the switch is to maintain security, please let us assure you
that the change is preventative and not related to any existing
problems. It is important that we remain as diligent as possible
concerning security as our server is frequently the target of attack.
The new server will have a different, more modern operating system
whereas the old server is nearing the end of its lifecycle. The new
hardware should also offer some performance advantages. Since major
changes like this are very challenging, we'd sure appreciate any prayers
you might be able to offer. For more detail concerning the server
change, please see below.

Lastly, we'd like to remind that Advent starts at the end of this
month (on 11/27/11). It's a good idea to prepare early so that
the Advent season will be truly holy. Also note that many
who attend the Novus Ordo Mass in the vernacular will experience the new Mass translations
for the first time on the first day of Advent. The new translations are
designed to be more faithful to the original Latin text (created in the
1960's), and they resolve some obvious translation errors
that Catholics have complained about for decades. Of course, those of us who attend the
traditional Latin Mass should be unaffected by the new translations. The new vernacular translations
of themselves do not alter the Novus Ordo Mass as it is promulgated in
Latin, but rather attempt to make the vernacular text a more faithful
translation of the 1960's Latin text.

We hope you have a wonderful month of November and that you enjoy a
very holy Advent season.

We thank you for your support & wish you God's blessings,

Your Friends at MyCatholicSource.com

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'Golden Arrow' Prayer: "May the most holy, most sacred, most
adorable, most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God be forever
praised, blessed, loved, adored, and glorified, in Heaven, on earth, and
under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of
Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen."

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MCS News & Notes

* Upcoming Server Change: To maintain security, we plan to move to a new
server. We anticipate the switch will occur on or around 11/7/11. Please
expect some outages and functionality issues during this time and
shortly afterwards. If all goes well, we hope everything will be back to
normal within a couple of weeks. If there are issues during the
transition, we may post updates on our blog. Please bookmark our blog (
http://mycatholicsource.blogspot.com ) and check it if you encounter
problems with our site during this time. We apologize if this change
causes any inconvenience.

* Rosary Week: We send our thanks to all who participated in Rosary
Week. You helped make this event a success. We also thank those who
submitted kind comments with their signups, such as the following (we
made a few spelling, spacing, and capitalization changes below)...

"Since I
became Catholic last year at Easter, this event keeps me in prayer and
helps me learn about and pray the rosary. I love it!"

"Thank you
for the info and invitation. As we know the Rosary is much needed at
this time with all the evil going on in this world. God bless you in
your work"

"Thank you
for offering this devotion. You make it very easy for us to
participate."

"I pray the
Rosary every year with My Catholic Source"

"Many
thanks for notifying me, I am always ready to participate in group
prayer!"

"I loved it
last year I felt like I was part of something big, powerful and holy"

"Thanks for
doing this. It is great and our country is desperate for prayer!! God
Bless ya'll."

"Thank you
so much for doing this. Praying the Rosary more often is one of my
personal goals. This will help me."

"Good idea
all the family is with us"

"Rosary Week
is a great way for Catholics to bring themselves to praying the rosary.
I pray mine daily and I just add another rosary each day during that week
for this intentions. Thank you"

As an expression of our appreciation, all
Rosary Week participants will be remembered in a Traditional Latin
('Tridentine') Mass to be said by the Priestly Fraternity St. Peter.
Please note that the Priestly Fraternity was erected as an institute of
pontifical right by the Holy See in October of 1988 (their twofold
mission is "the formation and sanctification of priests in the cadre of
the traditional liturgy of the Roman rite, and secondly, the pastoral
deployment of the priests in the service of the Church"). Again, we
thank you for your participation and hope you will join us again next
year.

* Changes To 'Invite A Friend' Service: The third party 'invite a
friend' service we previously utilized is no longer offered by the
provider. However, we have added a link to the 'invite a friend' page
that can be used to send an e-mail to friends. To invite friends to
visit MyCatholicSource.com, please visit
http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/fdb/invite_a_friend.htm

* Please help us improve
MyCatholicSource.com. Feedback from visitors can help us improve the
site. If something could be easier to use, better formatted, more
clearly worded, etc. we would appreciate it if you'd let us know. Your
suggestions are welcome & appreciated. You can leave feedback anytime
via chat or our feedback forms. For subscribers, we welcome you to
use the special subscriber feedback form at
http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/fdb/subscriber_feedback.htm to
submit comments. If your comments involve appearance or formatting
issues, please include the name of the browser used (and version number,
if possible) as well as the URL of the page(s) you are referring to.

* Our 'most beautiful app', iStations, is still on sale for just $.99.
This app features beautiful images, two traditional methods for praying
the Stations of the Cross, an audio option with optional auto-advance,
selected prayers in English & Latin, easy navigation, and in-app help.
It's great for Fridays, Lent, penitential times & family devotions. You
can download it today at
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* Our most popular app, Catholic Bible References, is still available at
the sale price of just $1.99. This app features hundreds of key scripture
references
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interface, and in-app help. Download it today at
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* App reviews: As lamented in the developer world, 'hardly anyone'
leaves reviews. While we've also experienced this phenomena, we have
received one written review (5 stars! "Great app...this app is very
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4 & 5 stars for two of our apps. Yet, more reviews are needed for a
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helps.

"One of the holiest works, one of the best exercises
of piety that we can practice in this world is to offer sacrifices,
alms, and prayer for the dead." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)

"According to the holy Doctors, for every mortal sin a man is obliged
by God to seven years of penance in this world, or the equivalent in
purgatory; the reason being that every mortal sin is an offense against
the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost." (St. Vincent Ferrer)

"'He shall be saved, but as if by fire.' And because it is said that
he shall be saved, little is thought of that fire. Yet plainly, though
we be saved by fire, that fire will be more severe than anything a man
can suffer in this life." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, 5th
century A.D.)

"If anyone shall say that after the reception of the grace of
justification, to every penitent sinner the guilt is so remitted and the
penalty of eternal punishment so blotted out that no penalty of temporal
punishment remains to be discharged either in this world or in the world
to come in purgatory before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be
opened: let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)

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'One Little Secret of a Happy Life'

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Note: The following is taken from a 20th century book by Fr. Francis
Xavier Lasance. The book bears an imprimatur. [Notice: We have made a
few changes to punctuation.]

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One secret of a sweet and happy Christian life is learning to live by
the day. It is the long stretches that tire us. We think of life as a
whole, running on for us. We can not carry this load until we are
threescore and ten. We can not fight this battle continually for half a
century. But really there are no long stretches. Life does not come to
us all at one time; it comes only a day at a time. Even tomorrow is
never ours until it becomes today, and we have nothing whatever to do
with it but to pass down to it a fair and good inheritance in today's
work well done, and today's life well lived.

It is a blessed secret this, of living by the day. Any one can carry
his burden, however heavy, till nightfall. Any one can do his work,
however hard, for one day. Any one can live sweetly, patiently,
lovingly, purely, until the sun goes down. And this is all life ever
means to us - just one little day. "Do today's duty; fight today's
temptations, and do not weaken or distract yourself by looking forward
to things you can not see, and could not understand if you saw them."
God gives us nights to shut down upon our little days. We can not see
beyond. Short horizons make life easier and give us one of the blessed
secrets of brave, true, holy living.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God,
rest in peace. Amen. (Latin: Fidelium animae per misericordiam Dei
requiescant in pace. Amen.)

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Prayer of St. Gertrude for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine
Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,
for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners
in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family.
Amen.

[Note: It is said that Our Lord will release 1,000 souls from
Purgatory for each recitation of this prayer.]

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Prayer to Guardian Angels for the Souls in Purgatory

O Holy Guardian Angels of the poor souls, you who accompanied them so
faithfully during life, who so lovingly guarded them from error,
misfortune, and sin, help them now when, having escaped from the dangers
of the world, they are so near to heaven. Obtain for them from the Most
Holy Trinity a full remission of their indebtedness and lead them
without delay to the joys of heaven. Amen.

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Prayer for Deceased Parent(s)

O God, who dost command us to honor our parents; in Thy mercy have
pity on the souls of my (father and/or mother). Do Thou forgive
(him/her/them) their trespasses and look favorably upon any good
(he/she/they) may have accomplished. And when my hour shall come to pass
from this life, grant me to see (him/her/them) again in the joy of
everlasting brightness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Prayer for Loved Ones in Purgatory

My dearest Jesus, whose loving Heart was ever touched by the sorrows
of others, look with compassion on the souls of our dear ones in
purgatory. O You Who 'loved Your own', hear our cry for mercy and grant
that those whom You called from our homes and hearts, may soon enjoy
everlasting rest in the home of Thy love in heaven. Amen.

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Prayer for a Deceased Person

Incline Thine ear, O Lord, unto our prayers, wherein we humbly pray
Thee to show Thy mercy upon the soul of Thy servant N., whom Thou hast
commanded to pass out of this world, that Thou wouldst place him in the
region of peace and light, and bid him be partaker with Thy Saints.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Raccolta)

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Prayer for a Deceased Priest

O God, Thou didst raise Thy servant (N.) to the sacred priesthood of
Jesus Christ, according to the Order of Melchisedech, giving him the
sublime power to offer the Eternal Sacrifice, to bring the Body and
Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ down upon the altar, and to absolve the
sins of men in Thine own holy Name. We beseech Thee to reward his
faithfulness and to forget his faults, admitting him speedily into Thy
holy presence, there to enjoy forever the recompense of his labors. This
we ask through Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord. Amen.

O gentle Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever
consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, have
mercy on them. Be not severe in Your judgments, but let some drops of
Your Precious Blood fall upon the devouring flames. And, Merciful
Savior, send Your angels to conduct them to a place of refreshment,
light, and peace. Amen.

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Mass Prayer For the Souls in Purgatory

Dear Jesus! Let the happiness of this thy visit extend to every
portion of thy Church. Thy face gladdens the elect in the holy city;
even our mortal eyes can see thee beneath the veil of our delighted
faith; ah! Hide not thyself from those brethren of ours, who are
imprisoned in the abode of expiation. Be thou refreshment to them in
their flames, light in their darkness, and peace in their agonies of
torment. Amen. (Liturgical Year)

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Prayer for the Deceased

Receive in tranquility and peace, O Lord, the souls of your servants
who have departed this present life to come to you. Grant them rest and
place them in the habitations of light, the abodes of blessed spirits.
Give them the life that will not age, good things that will not pass
away, delights that have no end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory (Esp. Nearest to Heaven)

O Lord God omnipotent, I beseech Thee by the Precious Blood which Thy
divine Son Jesus shed in His cruel scourging, deliver the souls in
purgatory, and among them all, especially that soul which is nearest to
its entrance into Thy glory, that it may soon begin to praise Thee and
bless Thee for ever. Amen. (Raccolta)

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Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory

Most loving Jesus, I humbly beseech Thee, that Thou Thyself wouldst
offer to Thine eternal Father in behalf of the Holy Souls in purgatory,
the Most Precious Blood which poured forth from the sacred wounds of
Thine adorable Body, together with Thine agony and death. And do thou
likewise O sorrowful Virgin Mary, present unto Him, together with the
dolorous Passion of Thy dear Son, thine own sighs and tears, and all the
sorrows thou didst suffer in His suffering, in order that, through the
merits of the same, refreshment may be granted to the souls now
suffering in the fiery torments of purgatory, so that, being delivered
from that painful prison, they may be clothed with glory in heaven,
there to sing the mercies of God for ever and ever. Amen.

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Prayer for the Departed

Immortal God, Holy Lord, Father and protector of everything Thou hast
created, we raise our hearts to Thee today for those who have passed out
of this mortal life. In Thy loving mercy, Father of men, be pleased to
receive them into Thy Heavenly company, and forgive them the failings
and faults of human frailty. Thy only Son, Christ, our Savior, suffered
cruelly that He might deliver them from the second death. By His merits
may they share in the glory of His victory over sin and death. We pray
for all the faithful who have died, but in particular for those dear to
us - parents, relatives and friends. Nor do we forget those who did us
good while on earth, who helped us by their prayers, sacrifices, and
example. We pray also for any who have done us harm and stand in need of
Thy special forgiveness. May the merits of Our Virgin Mother Mary, and
those of all Thy Angels and Saints, speak for us and assist them now.
This we ask in Christ's name. Amen.

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Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Souls in Purgatory

Most holy Mary, our Lady of Intercession, whose maternal tenderness
gathers in one embrace all the souls redeemed by the Precious Blood of
thy Son Jesus, we come before thy royal throne with sadness in our
hearts as we remember those who have gone before us, but also with
unlimited confidence in thine intercession. Death, which burst asunder
the bonds of earth, has not destroyed the affection which binds us to
those who lived in the same faith as we do. O Mary, countless souls
await with unutterable anxiety the assistance of our prayers, and the
merits of our good works in that place of expiation. Urged by the
charity of Jesus Christ, we raise our countenance and heart in
supplication to thee, the compassionate Mother of all believers, in
favor of those suffering souls. Make our prayers of good effect, O Mary;
obtain for them the power to move the Heart of Jesus our Redeemer
through thy motherly intercession. Let thine incomparable holiness
supply the defects of our misery, thy love make good our languid
affection, thy power strengthen our weakness. Grant, O Queen of heaven,
that the ardent desire of the souls of the departed to be admitted to
the Beatific Vision may soon be satisfied. We pray to thee, O Mother,
especially for the souls of our relations, of priests, of those who were
zealous in honoring thee, of those who did good to the souls of others,
of those who wept with them and for them and finally, for those souls of
those who are forgotten. Grant that one day, when we are all reunited in
heaven, we may be able to rejoice in the possession of God, in the
happiness of thy dear presence, in the fellowship of all the Saints,
thanking thee forever for all the blessings thou hast obtained for us, O
Mother, who art our unfailing comfort. Amen. Hail Mary... Hail Mary...
Hail Mary... Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual
light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen (Raccolta)

3. Does St. Francis de
Sales say we should be disturbed at our imperfections?

4. What does St. Alphonsus
Liguori say the devil does at death?

5. Who said...? "Your love
for me was already there, even when I had no existence, and precisely
because you loved me, O good God, you called me from nothingness to
existence!"

6. Can anointing of the
sick be received after apparent death?

7. Who said...? "To know
whom to avoid is a great means of saving our souls."

8. What does the Council of Trent say with
regard to receiving the Eucharist directly from the priest?

9. Who said...? "The
foolish fear death as the greatest of evils, the wise desire it as a
rest after labors and the end of ills."

10. Complete the sentence:
"One single act done with aridity of spirit is worth more than __."

---

Answers:

1. The Hexhemeron is a
Greek term which refers to the biblical account of the six days of
creation.

2. A privileged altar is
"One at which a plenary indulgence may be gained for a soul in Purgatory
by the celebration and application of a [particular] Mass. The privilege
is either local (belonging to any priest at a particular altar) or
personal (to a particular priest and any altar) or mixed (to certain
priests at certain altars)." (Catholic Dictionary) Note that the
indulgence is to be applied to the soul for whom the Mass was offered.

3. No. He says, "We must
not be disturbed at our imperfections, since for us perfection consists
in fighting against them. How can we fight against them unless we see
them, or overcome them unless we face them?" (St. Francis de Sales,
Doctor of the Church)

4. "At death, the Devil
exerts all his powers to secure the soul that is about to leave this
world; for he knows, from the symptoms of the disease, that he has but
little time to gain her for eternity." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of
the Church)

5. St. Maximilian Kolbe

6. Yes. Although the
sacrament should certainly be received while one is clearly living, a
priest is justly called even after apparent death (e.g. when the person
has no heartbeat, no brainwaves, no breathing, etc.), since one cannot
be certain that the soul has left the body until the body reaches a
certain, irreversible state (i.e. putrefaction). If given after apparent
death, the priest may give the sacrament conditionally

7. St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church"

8. "In the sacramental
reception it has always been the custom in the Church of God that the
laity receive Communion from the priests and that priests who are
celebrating Mass give Communion to themselves. This custom should
rightly and deservedly be kept as coming down from apostolic tradition."
(Council of Trent, Session 13, Chapter 8)

9. St. Ambrose, Doctor of
the Church

10. "One single act done
with aridity of spirit is worth more than many done with feelings of
devotion." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)

Defending the Faith: "Apologetics Brief" - Do You Reject the Concept
of Praying For the Dead?

It is good for Catholics to be able to defend their faith against
attacks (or even simple questions) from those outside the Church. We
therefore hope you may find the following "apologetics brief" helpful.

* If it is wrong to pray
for the dead, why did the ancient Jews pray for their dead?

* If it is wrong to pray
for the dead, why does Scripture speak of prayers for the dead (see 2
Macc. 12:39-46)? [Note: Protestants may reject this book of the Bible.
If so, see 'Do You Reject the Deuterocanonical Books of the Old
Testament?' at the following location:
http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/nc/non_catholics__bible.htm ]

* If it is wrong to pray
for the dead, why does St. Paul pray for the dead Onesiphorus (see 2
Tm. 1:16-18)?

* If it is wrong to pray
for the dead, why are there prayers for the dead in the catacombs (where
the earliest Christians are buried)?

* If it is wrong to pray
for the dead, why did the earliest Christians follow in this practice?
Why did the earliest Christians offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for
the dead? How is it that the followers of Luther can reject a practice
that traces back to the origins of Christianity (and even before)?

"We offer sacrifices
[Masses] for the dead on their birthday anniversaries ('the anniversary
of their birth into eternal life')" [Tertullian ("an excellent early
Christian writer" - although he ultimately fell into heresy), c. 211
A.D.]

"Neither are the souls of
the pious dead separated from the Church which even now is the kingdom
of Christ. Otherwise there would be no remembrance of them at the altar
of God in the communication of the Body of Christ." (St. Augustine,
Doctor of the Church, c. 420 A.D.)

"The prayer either of the
Church herself or of pious individuals is heard on behalf of certain of
the dead; but it is heard for those who, having been regenerated in
Christ, did not for the rest of their life in the body do such
wickedness that they might be judged unworthy of such mercy, nor who yet
lived so well that it might be supposed they have no need of such
mercy." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, c. 420 A.D.)

"Nor can it be denied that
the souls of the dead find relief through the piety of their friends and
relatives who are still alive, when the Sacrifice of the Mediator [the
Mass] is offered for them, or when alms are given in the church. But
these things are of profit to those who, when they were alive merited
that they might afterwards be able to be helped by these things... There
is, indeed, a manner of living so good that these helps are not needed,
and again a manner so evil that these helps are of no avail, once a man
has passed from this life." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, c. 421
A.D.)

"But by the prayers of the
Holy Church, and by the salvific sacrifice [the Mass], and by the alms
which are given for their spirits, there is no doubt that the dead are
aided, that the Lord might deal more mercifully with them than their
sins would deserve. For the whole Church observes this practice which
was handed down by the Fathers: that it prays for those who have died in
the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, when they are
commemorated in their own place in the sacrifice [of the Mass] itself;
and the sacrifice [of the Mass] is offered also in memory of them, on
their behalf. If, then, works of mercy are celebrated for the sake of
those who are being remembered, who would hesitate to recommend them, on
whose behalf prayers to God are not offered in vain? It is not at all to
be doubted that such prayers are of profit to the dead; but for such of
them as lived before their death in a way that makes it possible for
these things to be useful to them after death." (St. Augustine, Doctor
of the Church, c. 5th century A.D.)

- - -

"Be generous to all the living, and withhold not your kindness from
the dead." (Sirach 7:33)

"Christian families, which possess a spirit of lively faith, make it
their duty, according to their rank and means, to have a large number of
Masses celebrated for the dead." (Fr. Schouppe)

"Suffrages for the dead are more agreeable to God than suffrages for
the living; because the former stand in more need thereof, not being
able to assist themselves, as are the living." (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")

"[I]f you assign, on the average, as St. Frances of Rome says, seven
years for the expiation of one mortal sin, remitted as to the guilt, who
does not see that we arrive at an appalling duration and that the
expiation may especially be prolonged for many years, and even for
centuries? Years and centuries of torments! Oh! if we only thought of
it, with what care should we not avoid the least faults! with what
fervor should we not practice penance to make satisfaction in this
world!" (Fr. Schouppe)

"I believe that no happiness can be compared with that of a soul in
purgatory, except that of the saints in paradise. And this happiness
increases in proportion as the rust of sin is consumed away by the fire,
enabling the soul to reflect, more and more clearly, the rays of the
true sun, which is God. The suffering, however, does not diminish. On
the contrary, it is love kept back from its object which causes the
pain; and consequently the suffering is greater according as God made
the soul capable of a greater perfection of love." (St. Catharine of
Genoa)

"To assist the souls in Purgatory is to perform the most excellent of
the works of mercy, or rather it is to practice in a sublime manner all
the works of mercy together: it is to visit the sick; it is to give
drink to those who thirst for the vision of God; it is to feed the
hungry, to ransom prisoners, to clothe the naked, to procure for poor
exiles the hospitality of the Heavenly Jerusalem; it is to comfort the
afflicted, to instruct the ignorant - in fine, to practice all works of
mercy in one." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)